Cloud cover is a fundamental observation in the S'COOL project. The ability to reasonably estimate the percentage of cloud cover is introduced and practiced in this activity. The Students' Cloud Observations On-Line (S'COOL) project engages students...(View More) in making and reporting ground truth observations of clouds then comparing those observations with data from the CERES satellite instrument.(View Less)

Students examine CERES radiation data to understand how the Earth's tilt causes seasonal differences in incoming solar energy, and to explore how clouds, deserts and ice modulate the reflection of energy from the Sun. The investigation is conducted...(View More) using the My NASA Data Live Access Server. This resource is part of the poster, Earth's Energy Budget, which describes the role of incoming solar radiation and the gases in the atmosphere and clouds in maintaining the Earth's temperature. The role of atmospheric becomes CO² in climate change and the environments of nearby planets are compared. along with career profiles of energy budget "detectives." A student crossword and matching game test vocabulary understanding.(View Less)

This lesson includes four activities. Activity 1 introduces concepts related to distance, including length and height and units of measurement. Students are asked to make comparisons of distances. In activity 2, students work with a graph and plot...(View More) the heights of objects and the layers of the atmosphere: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. In activity 3, students learn about other forms of visual displays using satellite imagery. They compare images of a hurricane using two different satellite images. One image is looking down on the hurricane from space, the other looks through the hurricane to display a profile of the hurricane. Activity 4 reinforces the concept of the vertical nature of the atmosphere. Students will take a CALIPSO satellite image that shows a profile of the atmosphere and use this information to plot mountains and clouds on their own graph of the atmosphere. The recommended order for the activities is to complete the first two activities on day one, and the second two activities on day two. Each day will require approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.(View Less)

This activity introduces very young students to measurement, graphing and estimation as they learn how to use a thermometer. The resource includes teaching notes, assessment suggestions, and a vocabulary list linked to a glossary. This activity is...(View More) related to the NASA CERES Students Cloud Observations Online (S'COOL) project.(View Less)

In this lesson, students construct a rain gauge, collect and graph precipitation data, specifically the amount of rainfall at a locality, then compare their findings with other students' data.The resource includes teaching notes, a vocabulary list...(View More) linked to a glossary, and a student record sheet. This activity is related to the NASA CERES Students Cloud Observations Online (S'COOL) project.(View Less)

In this lesson bridging art and science, students build understanding of the terms translucent, opaque, and transparent, as they apply to cloud descriptions, and create a collage using materials matching these characteristics, as well as a...(View More) powerpoint of cloud images having a range of optical properties. There are two activities in this lesson. The resource includes a scoring rubric, teaching notes, and a vocabulary list linked to a glossary. This activity is related to the NASA CERES Students Cloud Observations Online (S'COOL) project.(View Less)

Student teams explore atmospheric aerosols, dust, and fires and their impact on the Earth's albedo using NASA Earth Observations (NEO) website. This is an extension activity in the student learning activity guide accompanying the GLOBE Earth System...(View More) Poster, Exploring Connections in Year 2007. A series of six learning activities and associated assessment activities are included.(View Less)

In this activity, student teams explore connections between parts of the Earth system, by examining a time series of environmental data maps. Each team examines a single variable displayed on a global data map, and identify the unit of measure, the...(View More) range of values, and patterns they observe in the data. Variables include: insolation, surface temperature, precipitation, cloud fraction, aerosols, biopshere. This is one of six interrelated learning activities associated with the GLOBE Earth System Poster, "Exploring Connections in Year 2007," and includes a series of assessment and extension activities. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program.(View Less)

In this activity, student teams conduct a quantitative exploration of the connections between parts of the Earth system, through examination of a time series of environmental data maps. By investigating the connections between environmental data,...(View More) they see how Earth processes interact on varying time and spatial scales.This is one of six interrelated learning activities in the student activity guide associated with the GLOBE Earth System Poster, “Exploring Connections in Year 2007.” A series of assessment and extension activities are included.(View Less)

In this learning activity, students compare changes in insolation with changes in surface temperature in the polar regions using scientific visualizations of global data sets. Links to readings related to the shrinking ice cap and albedo are...(View More) included. This is part 1 of a four-part activity on polar science. Extension activities examining air and sea surface temperature in relation to changing Earth albedo are included. This activity is one of several learning activities connected with the 2007 GLOBE Earth system poster.(View Less)